A couple of days ago the first instalment of my Christmas present from NurdGrrl arrived: Elann.com's Sample Skeins, where you get a monthly mailing of just enough yarn to make a swatch from their new offerings.
Last night at DnD I knit up all but the sock yarn (which is, of course, the one I'm most likely to order):
I really like the drape of the pale green. It's Seta Lana, 50% silk, 50% wool. The tweed is nice too. Unfortunately they're single ply, as is the other heavier weight wool. I'm not one of these knitters who'll sacrifice a ton of durability for "ooooh so soooooft"; I really don't like the way a single ply yarn pills and wears. The sport weight at the top is a nice 3 ply, with good stitch definition; nice for something in the 24 st gauge range. I'll have to knit up the sock weight to see if I can get my usual 32 st gauge for my standard socks.
Speaking of standard socks, I'm starting a pair for Gavin's birthday (end of January). Now these, I *can* knit on the bus, with my eyes closed :) I'm using Regia's Tip & Top yarn, 41% wool, 34% cotton, 25% polyamide nylon.
I've got the toe and a little bit of the foot done for sock 1. I really like the Regia sock yarns; they're durable, they're all the same 30 st / 42 row gauge, and they have a huge range of colours.
I also like the Lang Jawoll sock yarns, especially the reinforcing yarn, but sadly these are being discontinued by Yarn Forward. I'll have to stop by and get a couple of pairs' worth before they go the way of the dodo.
I'm still working on the gauntlets; I've just about got the ring finger done for glove 1. I tend to work on those in the evening, while a web page is loading etc. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to reverse the directions for the left-hand glove or knit it right-handed instead of my usual left-handed. My right-handed gauge might be a bit off and I might have trouble with the cabling, which is why I'm hesitating to do it that way. We shall see.
